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Historic Agreement Reached to Save Ship Harbour Long Lake

December 9, 2007

After nearly a decade-long grassroots campaign an historic agreement was signed by major conservation groups, Neenah Paper (formerly Kimberly Clark), and the Government of Nova Scotia, to save a massive stretch of wilderness on the Eastern Shore. The 14,000 hectares around Ship Harbour Long Lake runs east to Scraggy Lake and west to Admiral Lake.

"This area is one of the last truly wild places left in mainland Nova Scotia," says Kermit deGooyer, Conservation Coordinator for the Ecology Action Centre. "It's a place of remarkable beauty, healthy wildlife habitat and intact Acadian Forest. It's also a critically important area for biodiversity conservation. We applaud the government's leadership and Neenah Paper's assistance in protecting this extraordinary treasure."

As a result of the agreement, Ship Harbour Long Lake is now a candidate for wilderness designation. This colossal achievement is the result of an unprecedented level of cooperation between environmental non-governmental organizations, government, and industry.

The Ship Harbour Long Lake area is one of the Public Lands coalition's marquee hotspots. It has been the focus of an intense grassroots campaign to protect it since 1999.

Leading the effort were Eastern Shore Forest Watch, the Ecology Action Centre, Canadian Parks and Wildnerness Society-Nova Scotia, and the Tourism Industry of NS. If we are successful in getting it over the finish line it will be by far the largest new area added to the provincial protected areas network in a decade.

Studies conducted by government and Ecology Action Centre have identified this area as having high conservation value because of its roadless natural areas, representative landscapes not currently protected, old growth forest stands, major wetlands and river corridors, more than 50 lakes, areas of high scenic value, and wilderness recreation and tourism potential. It is also home to several rare or endangered species including pine marten and mainland moose.

GIS analysis of road density showed that it's one of few remaining intact forest patches in province with no road network or clearcutting fragmenting it. The area contains several old red spruce, white pine, and mixed conifer-hardwood stands, which are rare in NS.

If Ship Harbour Long Lake is designated as proposed (i.e. with no boundary reductions) it will effectively join two existing Wilderness Areas (Tangier Grand Lake and Whites Lake), effectively forming a protected wilderness “backbone” across a huge swath of Eastern mainland Nova Scotia (34,540 hectares total). This would create a world-class backcountry canoeing destination the same size as Kejimkujik National Park, but with three times as many lakes. It would also establish Nova Scotia's first protected canoeing corridor to link interior lakes with the ocean.

Achieving this designation involves a full public consultation and socio-economic study, which begins in Spring 2008 and is to be completed by December 2008. Strong support from groups and individuals will be needed to permanently protect Ship Harbour Long Lake.

The Public Lands coalition urges all supporters to speak out and make your voice heard at the upcoming public consultations.